Unified E-Visa for Entry into the Russian Federation

Recently, it has become increasingly difficult for foreign citizens wishing to enter the Russian Federation to obtain an invitation for a visa. Specifically, processing times for private and business invitation documents at the Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have increased. Additional time is required for document submission and for the registration of the petitioning company with the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ s visa and invitation department, including additional summons for company executives to provide clarifications.

While the countries of the European Union have canceled simplified visa agreements and increased visa processing times, the Russian Federation has taken unprecedented measures. To simplify the procedure, a unified electronic visa for entry into the RF was introduced on August 1, 2023, for foreign citizens. This has made entry into the RF as simple, convenient, and modern as possible.

After a year of this system's operation, we note that there is demand for such visas. The system is well-established and functions quite smoothly, though it has both a number of advantages and disadvantages regarding the e-visa application process.

Advantages:

• The processing time for such a visa is 4 working days, which significantly accelerates the possibility of entry into the RF.

• The foreign citizen is not required to visit a Russian Consulate in person, saving considerable time.

• The visa application can be submitted no earlier than 40 days and no later than 4 days before the intended entry date into the RF.

• Furthermore, during the e-visa application process, there is no need to submit additional documents confirming the purpose of the trip; it is sufficient to fill in the required information in the visa application form.

Disadvantages:

Despite all the aforementioned conveniences, the e-visa has several drawbacks:

• The permitted period of stay in the RF on this visa, within its validity period (120 days), is no more than 30 days from the date of entry.

• This visa is single-entry, which is also significantly inconvenient for foreign citizens who travel to the RF on business regularly.

• Moreover, the e-visa is valid for entry into and exit from the RF only through specific border crossing points approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.

• The most significant drawback of this e-visa is that the consular fee for processing can only be paid using international bank cards from the Visa, MasterCard, or UnionPay payment systems. It is impossible to pay the fee with bank cards from Russian banks or the "MIR" payment system card. Thus, if the applicant does not have an international bank card, they will be unable to pay the consular fee for the visa.

How We Can Help:

Confidence Group provides support to applicants in such cases. To apply for an e-visa, you simply need to fill out our questionnaire. In turn, we will process the e-visa for you, make the payment for it, and send the ready visa to your email. Our company also assists in obtaining the mandatory health insurance policy required for entry into the RF.

The cost of our services is indicated below:

* an additional summ is charged for bank processing;

** the cost of a voluntary medical insurance policy for applicants over 60 years is specified additionally. 

Important Notes:

·         The consular fee is non-refundable, even if the visa is denied.

·         Children under 6 years old are exempt from the fee but require a separate application.

Who can apply for an electronic visa? 

An electronic visa can only be obtained by citizens of the following foreign countries, the list of which has been approved by the Government of the Russian Federation:

Permitted travel purposes: tourism, business, guest visits, events (scientific, cultural, sports, etc.).

Required Documents:

1. Passport (scanned data page in JPEG).
2. Digital photo (meeting Russian MFA requirements).
3. Medical insurance covering the entire stay.

Key Reminders:

The e-visa is a convenient way to visit Russia, but overstaying leads to:

·         Fines,

·         Exit ban until court resolution,

·         Future entry bans to Russia.

Photo: https://ru.123rf.com/